Brimfield Antiques Show opens with 'something for everybody'

Wednesday

Jul 10, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By Mikala Kane, SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

BRIMFIELD — Three times a year, in May, July and September, a one-mile stretch of Route 20 in Brimfield takes on a life of its own. You never know what or whom you will find at the Brimfield Antiques Show.

"I was in the market for a harpoon," said Christine Bialaski of Boston. She bought a boat-hook instead, for $60, and said it would probably end up as a decoration under her TV.

Kayler Body of Manhattan bought two old cable spools, which he was planning to turn into a side table to put his iPod and stereo setup on.

The Brimfield Antiques Show is the largest outdoor antiques show in the country, said David Lamberto, owner and operator of Hertan's Antique Shows, one part of the Brimfield Antiques Show.

Mr. Lamberto said the Brimfield Antiques Show is made up of 20 independent landowners, or promoters, running separate shows. The town bylaws set the overall dates for each Brimfield show, and each promoter independently rents plots to antiques dealers.

"Because we're a group of independently operated shows, there's something for everybody," Mr. Lamberto said. "We work together as fellow owners to better the experience."

Mr. Lamberto is a former president of the Brimfield Show Promoters Association, which includes 16 promoters. He has been doing the Brimfield Antiques Show for more than 30 years.

This month's show runs from Tuesday to Sunday, but each promoter chooses when to open and close a particular show. Mr. Lamberto said the staggered start times allow people to see opening after opening. Mr. Lamberto's show is open from noon Wednesday to Sunday, while others opened Tuesday.

Mr. Lamberto said there are between 3,000 and 5,000 dealers at the shows, depending on the month. He said the July show usually draws 30 percent fewer dealers than the May and September shows. However, Mr. Lamberto said, that can lead to great bargains and interesting finds.

"The shopping is a bit less frenzied," Mr. Lamberto said of the July show.

This month's show is Margaret Shupe's first. She runs a plot on Central Park Antiques Show's land with her brother and fiancÚ. "We sell a little bit of everything," said the dealer from Scranton, Pa. Ms. Shupe said part of the fun is camping out on the plot, though they did get rained on Monday night.

Otis Williams, a dealer from Trenton, N.J., who specializes in tribal art, has been coming to the show for six years. He said his art collections usually do well. He said he only worries if it gets too hot outside because then fewer people come.

Though many people call it a flea market, Mr. Lamberto said the Brimfield Antiques Show isn't one. He said the show distinguishes itself from flea markets because it specializes in antiques, collectibles and art.

Mr. Lamberto said there are several things trending in this month's show: 1950s and '60s items, metal and industrial items, folk art and art deco, typography and country smalls, which are small country antiques.

The Brimfield Antiques Show originated in 1959 with just one landowner, Gordon Reid Sr., Mr. Lamberto said. Now Mr. Reid's daughters, Judy Mathieu and Jill Lukesh, run his show, J&J Promotions. Mr. Lamberto said the show started to expand to other properties and landowners in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Now, 54 years after it started, the Brimfield Antiques Show draws huge crowds three times a year.

"This is the biggest we've been to," Ms. Shupe said.

Contact Mikala Kane at mikala.kane@telegram.com.

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